


Lay Me Down To Sleep

by Mystical_Artist



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Insomnia, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, shameless fluff, very little plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-18 18:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystical_Artist/pseuds/Mystical_Artist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can assure you, Miss Shaw that I will do everything I can to fix my insomnia,” he said, placing his hands in his coat pockets. “If I didn’t know any better, I would almost say you’re worried about me.”</p><p>She snorted. “Please, I’m not John.” She sighed and awkwardly cleared her throat. “Look, you’re a good boss. Or friend, whatever. Just don’t screw up. I’m not dealing with a mopey Reese all over again.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Root's comment about Finch not getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night. 
> 
> I think we need some shameless fluff after that promo for Death Benefit, right? Right? 
> 
> Disclaimer: As always, these characters aren't mine.

 

 

**Assessing….Admin  
            Total Hours of Rest: 3:48**

 

Finch sat down with a sigh on the nearest bench of the park, his leg and back aching from the strenuous walking and cold weather of DC. His current trip to DC was more exhausting than he had anticipated, and he mentally cursed his inability to be as useful as Reese or Shaw in the field. 

He reached up with a gloved hand and tapped his earpiece as it buzzed quietly in his ear.

 

 “Root tells me you haven’t been sleeping,” Shaw said as a greeting.

 

Harold frowned. He’d been hoping it was Reese calling…he hadn’t heard from the man in almost a day, which was more than a little unsettling.

 

“Did you hear me, Finch?”

The billionaire leaned into the wooden seat further. “Yes, Miss Shaw. Though I must admit I’m not entirely sure why you and Miss Groves feel the need to discuss my sleeping habits. It really doesn’t concern either of you.”

He heard a slight rustle of clothing and could only assume that Shaw had shrugged.

“Well, figure out a way to fix it. The last thing we need is you falling asleep at a bad time,” she replied, clearly annoyed.

 

Harold couldn’t help but wonder what other things the two women discussed. Shaw didn’t seem like the type for gossip, though he was beginning to wonder if that assessment was really correct after all.

She seemed a little too interested in his and Reese’s friendship.

If that’s even what it was anymore.

 

Finch stood up and began walking towards his destination once again, his body slightly less sore now. “I can assure you, Miss Shaw that I will do everything I can to fix my insomnia,” he said, placing his hands in his coat pockets. “If I didn’t know any better, I would almost say you’re worried about me.”

She snorted. “Please, I’m not John.” She sighed and awkwardly cleared her throat. “Look, you’re a good boss. Or friend, whatever. Just don’t screw up. I’m not dealing with a mopey Reese all over again.”

She quickly ended the call and Finch continued toward his hotel with a small smile. 

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

**Assessing….Admin  
            Total Hours of Rest: 2:59**

 

Harold sat on his bed at the hotel with his back against the headboard and his feet extended out in front of him. He added another pillow between him and the board before moving his laptop back onto his thighs. The internet wasn’t the most secure at this location, so he was busy setting up a better security system to try and get some work done.

He felt his earpiece go off and reached up to answer it. 

 

“So, uh, how’re things your way?” Fusco asked.

 

Finch couldn’t help but be disappointed once again at the call not being from Reese. Where w _as_ he? He was glad Fusco had arrived back in New York safely, but quite frankly, that was not the man he wanted to hear from.

 

“Things are alright at the moment, Detective. Did Miss Shaw contact you about Ms. Donahue yet?” he replied, typing away at his computer.

Fusco snorted. “Yeah, and she’s been a nightmare. Shaw, not the other broad. What’s her problem, anyway? She’s been Little Miss Bitch ever since, well…ever. And here I thought Wonderboy was bad.”

Finch felt his mouth quirk up at that. “It sounds like Miss Shaw is acting normal, then. I’m afraid you’re simply going to have to get used to it, Detective. Speaking of Mr. Reese, has he contacted you recently?”

Fusco shuffled some papers and loudly blew his nose. “Hmm, not lately. I think the last time I heard from him was yesterday,” he replied, slightly nasally. “What, did you two have a fight or somethin’?”

Finch adjusted his glasses. “No, not that I’m aware of. Perhaps he is simply taking a break.” He only hoped he wasn’t holed up in a bar somewhere. Or worse.

 

He shuddered at the thought.

 

“Please, we all know that’s about as likely as Shaw acting like a damn fairy princess. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you guys take it easy. I’ll let you know if I hear anything, though,” Fusco said. “Can’t you just track him with that tech stuff of yours?”

Harold stopped typing. “I would like to give him _some_ sense of privacy.”

 

Fusco chuckled. “Yeah, whatever. Look, I’m gonna call it a night. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Will do, Detective.”

“Oh, and try to get some sleep, will ya? You barely slept when we stayed at that fancy-shmancy hotel the other day. That’s not healthy, man,” Fusco said, turning off the light at his desk.

Finch closed the screen on his laptop. “I’ll try, Lionel.”

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

**Assessing….Admin  
            Total Hours of Rest: 3:26**

 

Finch returned to his hotel after another day of hunting down Vigilance. It wasn’t going as well as he had expected, since their security was almost on par with his own.

 

How frustrating.

 

If he was a more violent man, he would have gotten an arsenal like Reese or Shaw to make matters go along a little faster. No, he thought, he would have to simply try again tomorrow with a different set of tactics.

He swiped his keycard and opened the door to the room, neatly hanging up his hat and coat as he entered.

 

“Good to see you’re alright.”

 

Harold started and peered around the corner to see Reese lounging on the bed. The other man had already removed his coat and shoes, and had his hands behind his head.

“Mr. Reese! I’ve been trying to contact you,” Finch said, moving closer and standing at the foot of the bed. He noticed a black duffle bag on the floor next to Reese. “Are you planning to stay a while?”

 

He sure hoped the bag contained clothes and not guns. It looked suspiciously like Reese’s Plan B bag…

 

John shrugged. “If that’s alright. You know I don’t like you being out in the field, especially when you’re by yourself.”

Finch moved and sat near the other man’s feet. “I’m not a child, Mr. Reese. I can handle myself in most situations. Besides,” he added with an eye roll, “Miss Groves was with me part of the time, and you know how she is with guns. I think she is even worse than Miss Shaw when it comes to that…”

“That’s hardly comforting, Finch. For as long as we’re here, I don’t want you around her unless I’m there too, alright?” Reese retorted, sitting up and bringing his legs closer to his body.

“That’s probably for the better, really. All she does is tell me that I need to sleep. Or rather, the Machine keeps tellingher to tell _me_ that. It’s all very infuriating, actually.”

 

Reese nodded in understanding. “Shaw told me you haven’t been sleeping right. If you’re having problems…”

Harold glared at him. “I’m not taking medication for that, too. I’m on enough pills as it is, and I hardly need to take one to s _leep_.”

 

The taller man’s lips quirked up faintly. “…I was just going to say that you might need some company, that’s all. Besides Bear.”

“I never let Bear sleep on the bed,” he replied with a frown. “He’s become spoiled enough thanks to you; the last thing I need to do is encourage that sort of behavior.”

 

It was Reese’s turn to frown. “You know that’s not what I meant. Go get ready for bed,” he said, gesturing towards the bathroom.

 

Finch grudgingly obeyed and returned a short while later wearing his newest set of expensive pajamas. Reese was already under the covers and he folded back the comforter as Harold approached the bed and slowly laid down.

He arranged the pillows and rolled on his side facing away from John, who moved over and placed an arm around him, pulling him close.

“See, this isn’t so bad,” Reese said with a smirk.

 

“This is ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

 

Finch suppressed a yawn and burrowed into the covers a little more. It _was_ surprisingly comfortable.

“…No, I suppose not,” Harold murmured as Reese snuggled behind him.  

 

 

**Assessing….Admin  
            Total Hours of Rest: 8:14**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was wide awake yet again, and it was only 4:30 in the morning; too early to get up, too late to fall into a true deep sleep. He hadn't gotten a decent night’s sleep since Reese had arrived at his hotel in DC and…snuggled with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, folks. Some nice people requested a part two and I attempted to oblige. It's nothing special, but hopefully it's enjoyable.
> 
> Note: It's just as cheesy as the first chapter. Prepare thy selves.

 

**Assessing…Admin  
             Danger to Health: High**

It wasn’t until much later, after they were given a slight break from Vigilance and Decima that Harold allowed himself to contemplate his insomnia further. He had reverted back to his almost sleepless nights, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to fix it. The fact that Reese had helped that one night was…distracting, but he had somehow managed to distance his thoughts from it altogether.

Until now. 

 

Finch lay on his bed back in one of his New York homes, staring blankly at the ceiling. He was wide awake yet again, and it was only 4:30 in the morning; too early to get up, too late to fall into a true deep sleep. He hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since Reese had arrived at his hotel in DC and…snuggled with him. 

 

The whole thing was completely ridiculous, Harold thought, and there was no way that the better sleep and John were connected. It was just a coincidence. That’s what he kept telling himself anyway, though he couldn’t bring himself to be entirely convinced. 

He also didn’t want to admit that he _liked_ John being there, even though the notion itself was completely inappropriate. It’s not like it had been the first time he’d thought such things about his employee, but he rarely allowed his mind to go there.

 

It’s not like he could say it was the mattress at the hotel, since that was shoddy compared to what he was currently using. And the lack of Bear wasn’t a factor, since he didn’t let the canine on his bed anyway. At least, not most of the time. No, the only thing that had made him fall asleep was Reese.

 

Or John.

 

Finch wasn’t even sure what to call the man, anymore. “Mr. Reese” seemed too formal after everything, but he resorted to “John” only in emergencies and when he was trying to make a point….

He tossed and turned again for a while before sighing and getting up completely. He limped over to his bookshelf and grabbed the thickest book he could find, knowing he would probably finish it by the time he needed to leave for the library, anyway. 

 

\---------------------------

 

When he arrived at the library, Reese was already lounging in front of the computers with his feet up on the desk. Harold scowled at him, and John slowly placed his feet on the floor where they belonged.

 

“You’re here early,” Finch noted as he hung up his coat. He stifled a yawn and scratched Bear as the dog came to greet him.

Reese shrugged. “Didn’t have anything better to do. I figured I might as well read one of these,” he replied, gesturing to the bookshelves around them, “While I waited for someone else to show up.”

 

Finch regarded the book Reese was reading with a frown. “ _Overcoming Insomnia_. Yes, I see you’ve picked a real thriller there, Mr. Reese.”

The other man blinked innocently at him. “Why Harold, I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve never been more excited about a book. Really though,” he said, standing up and walking towards him, “There are some good ideas in here. You should try some of them.”

 

Harold took a closer look at the literature and saw there were multiple pages that had been dog-eared. He mentally winced at the pages being treated in such a way as he took the book from Reese and placed it back on the shelf. “I’ve already read this book, Mr. Reese. Multiple times, actually, and none of these techniques have worked.”

“No? One of them mentions sharing a bed with a partner. How the extra body can help you…relax,” Reese said with a slight grin. “If I remember correctly, you slept pretty well with me there.”

 

Finch felt his face flush. “Yes, well, I’m not entirely sure that was the reason, but if that’s what you’d like to think…”

Reese took a step closer so he was standing right in front of him. “Oh, I think that was the reason, Finch. I know you haven’t been sleeping since then, and I think I can help. Even Shaw’s been concerned about you.” He reached out and ran his thumb over the dark circles under Harold’s eyes. “I don’t like to see this. You need sleep…Let me help.”

Harold sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you? Very well, we’ll try again tonight, assuming nothing unfortunate happens. Don’t get your hopes up, though.” 

 

\---------------------------

 

Fortunately, or perhaps it was unfortunately, Finch wasn’t sure, there were no problems with their number that day, and Reese accompanied him home that evening with only a few bumps and bruises.

Finch set the take-out bag on the kitchen counter and let Reese put their coats away. They ate a companionable dinner which mostly consisted of jokes about Fusco and Shaw before retiring for the evening.

 

“No Bear tonight?” Reese asked as Finch climbed in bed next to him.

“Miss Shaw decided to keep him for the night. She seems rather attached to him,” Harold replied, tucking the blankets around him. 

“Hmm, probably for the best,” Reese said, rolling onto his side. He placed a hand on Harold’s chest and leaned forward so their noses were almost touching.

 

“Staring at me isn’t going to make me fall asleep any faster, Mr. Reese,” Finch stated. He felt his eyes widen as Reese leaned further in and kissed him lightly on the lips. John then laid his head back down next to Finch's.

 

“G’night, Harold.”

Finch placed his glasses on the nightstand, his eyes still wide. “Oh…Good night, John.”

 

 

And that’s how it was the next night.

 

And the next.

 

And so on.

 

**Assessing…Admin  
            No Anomalies Detected**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional thoughts and comments? I'm not the sort that writes raunchy stuff, so hopefully this wasn't too disappointing in that aspect (if that's where people wanted it to go?) As usual, feedback is appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Feedback is always appreciated. Honestly, I'm not too fond of this, but I'm taking a chance and posting it anyway.


End file.
